Business Continuity Plans (BCP), plans on how to provide a stable service, or recover after adverse actions, have become top of mind with many managers. Businesses have adopted such plans, or are in the process of implementing one, but owners may have missed some crucial elements that could result in an ineffective plan.
Here are six key non-IT functions and processes that need to be in place to ensure your company is ready to effectively execute your BCP.
Easy to use plans Many continuity plans have been developed mainly for the IT department, as such, they can be a little complicated to understand and follow if employees don’t have a technical background. You should aim to have a plan that’s easy to follow and can be understood by all employees.
Communicate plans Remember that your plan encompasses all facets of your organization. It’s crucial that every employee knows their role and the relevant actions to take when the plan is executed. To do this, you need to ensure that all employees have access to a copy of the plan and any changes or updates are clearly communicated.
Test plans Beyond communication, it’s important to conduct regular tests, with every quarter being sufficient. The tests should be as real as possible and span all departments within the organization. This will ensure that employees are aware of how they, and the systems, will react under duress. It’ll be beneficial to your business if the first time the employees execute the plan isn’t during an emergency.
Short term and long term plans Your BCP should consist of both long term and short term elements that can be easily adapted to meet changing business environments and the emergence of new threats. You should aim for an even mix of short and long term solutions that cover as wide a variety of situations as possible.
Ensure buy-in from all levels If you’re in the process of instituting a BCP you should ensure that the whole organization is onboard with the plan. If an employee is unsure about the validity of a part of the plan, take the time to find out why and ask for suggestions. An uninformed or uncooperative employee could be the difference between survival and failure in a disaster situation.
Update and Review After every test, staff turnover and technological update, you should review the plans and make changes if necessary. Essentially, if anything in the company changes, review and update the plan. Remember: just because you have an effective plan this month, doesn’t mean it’ll be so in the future.
Continuity plans are only as strong as the weakest link. In an emergency, the last thing you want is an employee following the wrong process or be unsure of what they should be doing. If this happens, you could see an exponential growth in recovery time and costs. We’re ready to tell you more, so please contact us if you would like to talk continuity planning.

The smartphone has become one of our most beloved devices. Like a favorite pet, we take it everywhere with us, show it off every chance we get and even use it as a way to conform or stand out. No matter which brand you have, you probably have important information stored on your phone, and should be taking steps to ensure that it’s secure from prying eyes.
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It used to be that your work and personal time had clearly defined separation. You spent the day at work focused on your job and at the end of the day you’d turn your brain off, go home, cook dinner and relax. As a collective whole we seem to have lost our ability to focus. We spend most of our days worrying about the work that needs to be done.
Voice over Internet Protocol, VoIP, has become one of the main ways businesses communicate. An ever growing number of companies have been switching over to VoIP systems to take advantage of its cost savings. Recently, one of the most popular programs, Skype, reached a milestone of 40 million users logged in concurrently.
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With the increasing severity of natural disasters in recent years, many larger companies have started to develop and implement a continuity plan to ensure that they can still conduct business, no matter what happens. Businesses in the process of developing a plan will eventually need to decide if they want to use software or templates?
Smartphones have been a part of our personal lives for a while now. It’s no surprise then that we are starting to also use them for business purposes. In fact, many of us already check our work email on our personal device. As smartphones become more powerful and popular, employees are wanting to “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD). Is your company prepared for this?
No matter what industry your business is in, managers and employees will at one time or another need to give a presentation. Presentations can at times scare many employees, causing undue stress and poorly created presentations that could cost a company a key contract.

